Hi there, I'm Joy! Here is where you'll find all the things related to this little blog of mine.
Here is where you will find my Not-So-Berry page! Follow the Prism's (and myself) through seven and a half generations of learning to love this game again.
Here is where you will find "To Give Up the Ghost," an in-progress, NSB-adjacent story that is currently under development (so don't be surprised if this takes you to nothing oop)
Here is where you will find my current gameplay/story, the Nightmare Legacy Challenge! Classic Sims-style chaos where I go with whatever whims pop up (including my own)
Are the stars out tonight? // I don't know if it's cloudy or bright // The moon may be high // But I can't see a thing in the sky
Previous | Chrono | Next
[transcript under the cut]
There’s a new message on Bee’s tablet. Encrypted, of course. But the chime is enough to stir Bee from her summer-sun-laced doze. She reaches over to the patio table as the next song trickles from the stereo she pulled from the living room, propping the door open.
Hours away, off the piers of Brindleton Bay, Cas is just rising for the day. A hand rises out of a mass of blankets and pillows. They grasp around, reaching for glasses but landing on their phone. They raise it to their face, squinting.
Casper: Wha' d'you wa-
In unison, the cousins sit up - Bee on her lounger, Cas in their bed.
Casper: NO WAY!
Bianca: Oh my FUCK!
They raise their phones and dial each other.
Bee: “Did you get - “
Cas: “Yes! Did you?”
Bee: “Pfft, yeah, definitely not.”
Cas: “What? ...OOOH. Yeah, I definitely didn’t get that update file about the Mob -”
Bee: “Ahem.”
Cas: “...the case!”
As they talk, Bee gradually reclines back on the lounger. Cas, on the other hand, gets up and throws their curtains open, getting ready to shuffle into their office.
Bee: “...Are you going to work right now?”
Cas: “Yes, you aren't?”
Bee: “It's going to take more than an email to get me off the poolside on my day off."
Cas: “For once you’re the lazy one? Never thought I’d see the day.”
Bee: “Make me get up and you won't see another day!”
Cas: “Oh, I know. Your day off is safe from me.”
They both laugh. The world is warm and sunlit, and everything seems to be looking up.
There's a humming in the restless summer air // And we're slipping off the course that we prepared...
Chrono | Next
[transcript under the cut!]
Without further ado, Reality-Refuge finally presents...
To Give Up The Ghost
By Aster Barnhart
with a foreward from Casper Barnhart
Holding this book in my hands feels like holding a core memory.
You know, those little glass balls that Pixar says our brains crank out?
Holding the object that was the beginning of this journey I am now ending is beyond strange. I feel like I am holding a paradox that could rewrite my world if mishandled.
And I am notorious for dropping things.
This precious relic of my history spent the last few decades like a sitcom's single older brother - that is, in the basement of their parent's house, collecting dust until a gorgeous young thing pulls them out. The gorgeous young thing in this case being me.
Though, knowing my dad, this treatment is hardly surprising. Aster had such an aversion to the dark and seedy underbelly of the world, whereas I spent so much time there I still know my way without a map. I used to joke that my iron constitution must have come from the surrogate.
Actually, that's a lie. I still tell that joke.
I wondered for the longest time why my dad tried to forget this book. To me, this story was the coolest fact about our family. What a party trick to whip out! What a fascinating fun fact! Two truths and a lie, I could win every time!
And then I grew up.
With specific help from some of Dad's words: This was his life. And it was not as fun to live as it was to hear about.
It was hard enough to learn in theory, and even harder to learn for myself.
There will be a few minor characters that pop up as well, and few of these characters will make it through unchanged, so keep an eye out as the story progresses!
Additional details under the cut~!
Legend:
White*: Main Characters
Grey*: Antagonists
Blue: Secondary Characters
Green: Tertiary Characters
Mentioned: Stock characters
*I did not choose white/grey bc "white good black bad," but because this is a white-gen story. Makes sense for the main characters to match the color of their gen, right?
To be clear: A few of these characters fit multiple of these legend assignments, but to maintain my sanity and to keep from confusing anyone, I just gave them the one that felt more important to the character.
Six of these character cards will change at least once throughout the story! With one potential change, depending how motivated I feel to do that.
In preparation for the journey ahead, Bee & Cas have agreed to give us tours of their homes! Join me under the cut if you want a peek in Bianca's model home.
Casper will be following suit shortly~!
Both tours were inspired by @cinamun's tour of Hope & Jay's not-so-new-anymore home!
notes on my own build:
It's giving...model home. Bee's the Ted Mullens of the TGUTG Cinematic Universe, she can and would buy the IKEA displays in lieu of 1) designing her home herself and 2) hiring someone to design her home.
Has cameras set up over every square inch of her property. Will probably add more.
There will be a few minor characters that pop up as well, and few of these characters will make it through unchanged, so keep an eye out as the story progresses!
Additional details under the cut~!
Legend:
White*: Main Characters
Grey*: Antagonists
Blue: Secondary Characters
Green: Tertiary Characters
Mentioned: Stock characters
*I did not choose white/grey bc "white good black bad," but because this is a white-gen story. Makes sense for the main characters to match the color of their gen, right?
To be clear: A few of these characters fit multiple of these legend assignments, but to maintain my sanity and to keep from confusing anyone, I just gave them the one that felt more important to the character.
Six of these character cards will change at least once throughout the story! With one potential change, depending how motivated I feel to do that.
online communities are so strange because people slip away so easily. you can be on here for years, folding people you've never met into the fabric of your daily life, and then they disappear, leaving only ghost posts scattered across tumblr behind. or their blog stays dormant, for weeks, months, years, until you're only still following them because you remember that they love sunflowers or they were kind to you when they didn't have to be or the last thing they posted was sad and raw and you still worry about them sometimes.
and sometimes they come back when you least expect it, years later, even, and there's this sudden rush of relief like there you are, there you are, even though you barely knew each other.
there's a strange kind of love to it. i don't know you and i want to hold your hand across miles and time zones and oceans. i can still see the imprint of you in this community you left. you don't think anyone will notice or care when you're gone, but we notice and we care and we wish you well.
i hope you're all okay out there. i hope the sun is shining on your face and you are breathing deeply. i miss you.
shows up extremely late to the @tricoufamily cas challenge with a half baked mafia concept like just hear me out guys hear me out....
dynamic: mentor/mentee
genre: crime
sim 1: DONNA
trait: boisterous
hair color: platinum blonde
hair length: medium
extra: glasses
sim 2: CHIARRA
trait: jealous
hair color: dark brown
hair length: extra long
extra: freckles
i don't know a single goddamn thing about the mob, i've never even watched the sopranos ❗❗ now that we've gotten that out of the way
it's the late 80s, and chiarra (brunette) is fresh out of cosmetology school and looking for a job as a hair stylist. she ends up renting a booth at a salon on one condition: the property owner, a man with major ties to the mob, wants to take her on a date first. she's charmed by his charisma and loves how close he is with his family, something chiarra never had much of. within a year, the two are married and chiarra has ingratiated herself in the community, however she's quite unpopular with the other ladies. she's seen as a gold digger and an outsider because she didn't grow up in this life. but her job as a hair stylist is secured permanently thanks to her husband.
this is how she meets donna (blonde). donna is kind of a big fucking deal from what chiarra has heard through the grapevine, so she gets nervous and ends up badlyyy messing up her hair the first time she comes in to the salon. she's surprised to find that donna thinks it's hilarious – but she warns her that not everyone would've taken it so lightly, especially because chiarra's husband is not an incredibly influential person to begin with, unlike donna's husband who's like. the boss. but donna takes a liking to her, something the other wives find equal parts annoying and frightening.
through the early years of chiarra's marriage, donna acts as a mentor figure and a listening ear because she's been through it many years ago. but there comes a point where chiarra discovers her husband has been cheating on her, and she's shocked when donna waves it off as something that just sort of happens to all of them. chiarra becomes furious and refuses to accept this when she's been nothing but loyal to him. but instead of confronting her husband, possibly losing her marriage and the new family she's gained, she makes the decision to follow in his footsteps. she carries out secret affairs for a while; just one night stands and brief flings, so her husband won't get suspicious. donna finds it entertaining and turns it into a game, often covering for her. she's always been a gossip, so it's easy for her to keep an ear out for what people are saying about chiarra and deflect suspicion if she needs to.
one night, while their husbands are away, the wine starts flowing and the two of them just go for it. it's quick and they don't even particularly enjoy it because the guilt creeps in almost immediately. in decades of marriage, donna has never betrayed her husband no matter how many times he's done the same. and though chiarra is no stranger to stepping out of her marriage, she hasn't had romantic feelings for anyone but him since they've been together, let alone feelings for another woman.
donna and chiarra try to put some space between themselves, but they both know it's too little too late – and considering they've been inseparable since they met, their distance draws more suspicion than their closeness ever had. without donna there to protect her, chiarra is forced to realize just how disliked she is in her community, and how much donna had been doing to bolster her image. but she doesn't just want everything to go back to normal, she wants more than that. she's determined to make sure donna knows what she's missing out on, taking every opportunity to make her jealous and push her buttons.
this push and pull between them continues until donna learns that her husband has been arrested for racketeering and other crimes -- and it seems that the charges are actually going to stick this time. worst of all, the latest gossip is that chiarra had something to do with it. but is this just chiarra's bad reputation preceding her? would she really do something so dangerous and hurtful just to get donna back? and if it's true, what is donna going to do in retaliation?
thanks for reading my wattpad story :3 r&r plz xDD
